Devil's Tongue
by Jaguarlioness
Summary: Before God's tongue was born, the Devil had already chosen his candidate. When Kōjiro met her, his curiosity had led him to a path of pure annoyance, witty remarks, and a cup of coffee. (Kōjiro x OC)
1. Café au Lait

Kōjiro was certain that with his no longer stagnant position, he would continue to progress his culinary skills. When he came back from Japan after the Tōtsuki training camp, he realized what he needed to do. His associates couldn't believe how much he's changed despite how minor they were. He was going to finish his last few remaining changes here in France and then open up his second restaurant back home in Japan and hopefully that would further fuel his ambition towards gaining the Michelin three star status.

"Chef, we just got three new incoming tables; one family, one couple, and one individual!"

"Alright then, start the preparations!"

"Oui chef!"

Kōjiro started the fire and worked his way through the cutting board, but a random thought occurred to him; he never really received individual parties coming in before. It was nothing to inflate his ego, but usually people came in with their friends and family because they knew it would be quite embarrassing to dine at such a high end restaurant by themselves. He was briefly curious on what the person would even order until one of his chefs called out the orders.

"Two Foie Gras, one Cassoulet, two Confit de Canard, and…a Café au Lait…"

Kōjiro nearly dropped his knife when he heard the last order. Of course the menu has many delicious dishes accompanied with fine wine and drinks, but not many have ever ordered just an espresso with hot milk. He had honestly added it in there as a filler and it was even a quick laugh to some of his kitchen mates. His amber eyes glanced at his sous chef who shrugged and went back to work.

When the orders were swiftly prepared and brought out to be served, they finally found themselves to have a small break before dirty dishes were brought in from the afternoon lunch rush.

The coral haired man still had an itch to scratch however.

He washed his hands and wiped it dry before pushing through the kitchen doors to stand behind the front counter. He pushed his glasses up before crossing his arms to scan the dining area. People were certainly enjoying their food with the indication of food groans and flushed cheeks. It wasn't until his hawk eyes landed on one specific person that his lips formed a tight thin line.

A fair skinned woman sat near the window with her chin resting on her hand. Black hair fell down her shoulders and curled near the ends below her bust. Her light blue sundress framed her petite figure while her legs crossed over each other to reveal her white low heel ankle strap shoes. She absentmindedly stirred her coffee and brought it to her lips as she stared outside the window. It wasn't until striking sapphire eyes met his that he immediately turned away and stormed back into the kitchen.

"Chef?" One of his cooks looked at him strangely as he came back in with his hands over his mouth in deep thought.

There was something about that girl. She had an aura of grace yet those eyes were almost as intimidating as his…it kind of made him feel nervous about something.

He hoped she never came back.

* * *

Nobody understood why their chef had an angry vein popping near his temple but perhaps they can take a guess at the contributing factor. The woman he hoped to never see again had actually came in another three consecutive days and would always order the same exact thing.

"One Café au Lait."

Kojiro at this point felt a little insulted that this woman only came back to just drink a coffee. Out of all places, she chooses to take up a table that could go to a better paying customer instead of going to an actual fancy coffee shop.

 _It's France for God's sake!_

"Let me make that order."

"Chef?"

Kōjiro grounded the finest beans their restaurant had to offer; just because they didn't usually make coffee doesn't mean they wouldn't acquire the best of everything. He poured the coffee grounds into the French press and secured the filter over it. When the water he set aside was finished boiling, he poured it into the press. After that he lifted the plunger and stirred the grounds with the water to help extract the coffee into the boiling water. When allowed the perfect steeping time to pass, he pressed the plunger to separate the grinds from the water. Finally, after scalding whole milk in a saucepan for the richest taste, he simultaneously poured the milk and coffee into small porcelain cup.

"Who knew our chef was also a barista," chuckled one of his chefs.

"You should never put anything on the menu you cannot deliver as a fine chef." Kōjiro replied smugly as he placed the finished product on a saucer.

"Alright, I'll serve our guest this once again. I'm pretty sure she's remembered my name now." The waitress laughed.

"No, I'll be doing it this time."

"What? But why? You'll be wasting precious time prepping for our next meals."

"We still have plenty of time. It seems our guest knows when our downtime is, thus always coming in at this specific time to order something so extraneous."

"I suppose so…"

The coral haired chef almost glared at the simple cup of coffee as he took it out into the dining room. Some heads turned to gaze in awe at him while others were curious as to why he was holding a cup of coffee. He held his composure to not slam the cup down in front of the woman who always sat next to the window. She shifted her head towards him and raised an eyebrow; unfazed by what is happening at the moment, "Is there any special occasion that the head chef must bring me my coffee?"

He narrowed his eyes, "You know this isn't a café, right?"

"I am fully aware of that."

"Then why do you come here every day to my restaurant just to order coffee?"

"Even if I were to answer that question, is it not in your best interest to guarantee the satisfaction of every customer?"

"What?"

"Are you too much of an elitist that you pick and choose who gets to dine in here? I'm a paying customer, that's all that matters, no?"

"That's not the point…" Kōjiro questioned himself on how the tables have turned on him. Was this really a debate he was having? He just wanted a simple answer to his question. If this now irritating girl would just answer it reasonably, he would've just left it alone.

But his dominant male ego did not allow him to lose this unexpected passive aggressive argument.

"Just answer my fucking question or you can get the hell out of my restaurant." He calmly pushed his glasses up, as if getting a bit more aggressive won this battle for him.

His amber eyes met her sapphire ones and they had a brief staring contest. He had to admit…the woman was pretty; in fact maybe the term 'beautiful' fit her better. Today she wore her long black hair in a side braid and a white blouse accompanied the long red skirt she wore. To him, she looked a little ambiguous up close as he couldn't really decipher her ethnicity. But nonetheless, his clouded judgment told him she was just utterly annoying.

She broke eye contact with him and smirked before closing her eyes calmly to sip on her cup of coffee right in front of him. There was definitely some tension in the air when heads were turned their way as he gathered attention from just standing there out in the open.

"Well?"

"It's best you sit down, chef."

"I'm not taking orders from you."

"Oh really? Because you came out with my coffee just now."

A fist formed at his side, "It's either you come here to _at least_ order the food that my staff and I spent a lot of time putting together or you can find yourself a real coffee shop. I don't want some girl taking up seats when there are people out there that can't even find the time to put in a reservation here."

"Are you threatening to kick me out?"

"If that's what it takes."

A frown formed her pink lips as she looked at him with disappointment. A look he wasn't expecting at all.

"What a shame, it's the only thing I can actually taste."

A question mark formed over his head from that remark but it was quickly disregarded when she left 50 euros on the table, "Keep the change, I don't plan on coming back again." She smiled as she got up; her height only to his shoulders, "Just remember Chef Shinomiya, every customer counts no matter what they order on the menu…"

And with that she left, leaving him confused as to what she was babbling about.

"Annoying girl…" He mumbled to himself as he entered back into his kitchen.

"Chef!"

He crossed his arms as his hostess came running in, "What is it?"

"I just got off the phone with a former World Class Organization examiner!"

His eyes widened at the mention of that name. When he declared that he wanted the Michelin 3 stars, the WGO would be his toughest enemy to overcome. So when his hostess was flailing her arms at him, he wondered why in the world did a former examiner want to contact his restaurant?!

"And?! What did he say?!"

"His name was Akira Hasegawa; he was one of the toughest examiners in the WGO before retiring."

Kōjiro recognized that name. It was the name of the man that was nicknamed the 'Texture Fiend' as this man not only judged food based on its flavor, appearance, and aroma, but put a lot of emphasis on the texture of the food. There were many cases in the past where chef's dishes were delicious but because it was incompatibly paired with 'lumpiness' or 'sliminess' that it never passed good judgment from him.

"What did he want?"

She scratched the back of her head as if being confused herself, "Actually, he stated that he had a reservation with his daughter today but just now cancelled last minute."

"What?"

"Yeah, apparently he said she wasn't treated properly as a customer and that no restaurant should deserve recognition if the chef is bias towards who orders what from the menu. He sounded very upset since apparently his daughter is taking his position as a WGO examiner next. But how did this happen, chef?"

He had never felt so much fear in his life as he ran towards the front desk to check on the reservation list. There it was…the most important reservation in his life and he had screwed it up by letting his ego parade his mind.

 _Elicia Hasegawa: Saturday 7:00pm_

He looked at the clock and it read 6:55pm. She had come early today to wait for her father for their dinner reservation and it just so happens that she ordered another coffee. If only he waited another day or even 10 more minutes from his confrontation and this wouldn't have happened! What now? What if she discusses how she was treated with the organization? The one rule of a restaurant is to always treat every customer with the best service and respect and he fucked up! They'll never take a second glance his way again and his dream of the 3 stars will be crushed!

He had to hunt down this girl named Elicia Hasegawa and make things right.

* * *

Hello all! Welcome to another new story of mine! If you guys haven't guessed already, this story takes place right after Kōjiro returns to France after the Tōtsuki training camp in Japan. I know there are a few other Kōjiro x OC stories out there and honestly, I'm not surprised as he's an easy favorite of mine as well (a lot of character development from him compared to the rest of the 79th-80th academy alumni). Hopefully I keep things in character.

Anyway, I hope this first chapter caught your interest, if not, then sorry. :(

Excuse my crappy French throughout the story by the way, I'm trying!

P.S. About the coffee: Although many would say "then why would he have coffee on the menu in the first place?" just remember that restaurants serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So what usually comes with a nice french toast or omelette in the morning? :) This is just assuming Shino's would serve all dining hours. It's just strange to him that one would _only_ order coffee by itself, that's all. Hope that makes sense. x)


	2. Changements de vie

_Life Changes_

* * *

"Blegh, this tastes like hot water…"

Elicia had all the reasons as to why she avoided cafés. One: they don't use fine coffee beans, two: their baristas are usually college students who needed a part time job, and three: there weren't many things she could taste in the culinary world, but when it came to second rate coffee shops, she wished she could wash her tongue.

She sighed and thought about the restaurant called Shino's from the other day. Originally she wanted to stop by that place to try their food and write a few notes as to see if they were worthy of getting reviewed in the future, but the single menu item of a cup of coffee was the first and only thing she ordered. The aroma was fascinating, the consistency was balanced as it was not too thick from the milk and not too thin from the water, and overall she could actually _taste_ it. She tasted the Ethiopian background of the coffee that made her imagine how they were grown and cared for before being picked for production. Elicia found herself wandering back to the restaurant just for that cup for one or two days before finally deciding to make a formal reservation with her father to actually try the food. She was excited to finally eat until the owner and head chef had to be a jerk.

What was his name again anyway?

If she was any other WGO examiner, she would have had his head on a platter. Fortunately for him, she wouldn't do anything irrational if she never had the chance to try his dishes; however, Elicia did think of pushing his review back down the list for a _few_ years after this incident. Maybe several years will teach the snooty chef some manners.

She sighed as she leaned forward on the table she sat at and glumly stared at the bland cup of coffee before taking out a culinary world magazine she recently acquired. When she flipped the page and read an article, her eyes rolled at the headline:

 **Erina Nakiri: Wielder of God's Tongue Ranks at the Top!**

Elicia remembered the day this child was born. She was only eight years old when this infant took over the culinary world. At that time she was the one that people sought out to satisfy her taste buds…or more so her nonexistent taste buds.

If people wanted Erina Nakiri to taste their food to decipher each and every ingredient, then Elicia Hasegawa was sought out to taste their food to see if she can even taste their food at all.

She is known to never show an expression over any type of dish, why? Because she just couldn't taste them. If the food did not allow her to imagine where each ingredient originally came from, then it was too bland, hence her not being able to taste it. It was said back then that she graded people's dishes too difficult (always giving ratings of 0) that her father, Akira Hasegawa, just had to teach her to review dishes based on their textures and even after that, it was still too difficult for her to not give bad ratings.

After Erina was born however, people flocked to her in attempts to satisfy just _someone_. And even if Erina didn't approve of their dish, at least she could give them in full details of what they did wrong and needed to improve.

That was what Elicia wasn't born with. If she couldn't taste the food, how could she give constructive criticism?

Her tongue was maybe…more of a curse.

The only blessing that came out of this "curse" of hers was that if a foul dish managed to make its way into her mouth, at least she wouldn't be able to taste it…

So now that people have forgotten the child with the devil's tongue, she just established herself as a WGO examiner that reviews based on texture and nothing more, just like her father.

She sighed as she closed the magazine and once again, stared at the cup of now cold coffee. It wasn't until somebody pulled the seat out in front of her that she snapped out of her daze.

"Father."

"Good morning, my child." He was a tall and well-built man in his late-50's. He always wore a dark and well-tailored suit while the slick back salt and pepper hair added to his sophistication. Akira Hasegawa isn't particularly an intimidating man outside the culinary world as his politeness and gentle deep voice always seem to charm people.

In the culinary world however; that is a whole different story.

A nervous barista came up to the man to ask if he wanted to order anything and he waved his hand while shaking his head, "I do not need anything, but thank you for your consideration."

The barista left with a slight blush with a hand to her face.

Elicia rolled her eyes while resting her head on her hand.

"So, why have you invited me to this…interesting café? I thought we were going to have dinner at that famous restaurant?"

"Change of plans; I ran into a few issues with people so this would have to do."

"My…just because you don't taste your food doesn't mean you have to bring me to a cheap joint," He chuckled, "I'm sure the water here is from their sink."

"Perhaps, but be humble that you even see your daughter at this time. What did you need to talk about that you purposely took some time out of both our busy schedules to meet?"

Her father leaned back on the metal chair making it comically creak against his large back. He closed his dark eyes and gave a sigh making her worried over the upcoming news.

"What is it?"

"Well I have some business to take care of back in Japan and I am here to ask you to come along with me."

"You know I can't leave France at the moment, right? I have many examinations to partake in and it's the most crucial time to build my reputation now that you're retired."

"I've already bought a new house in Japan though and surely the WGO would allow you to transfer your work."

When her father buys a new "house" he actually means a mansion for one person. Black and white flashbacks ran through her head of her walking in lonely hallways during her childhood while her parents were always working. As she grew up, she moved away from that environment and was humble enough to live in a normal one person apartment.

"Besides, I never liked you living in that small hut you called a home. You come from a prestigious and wealthy household your mother and I worked so hard to give you, so why don't you just accept it? Stop trying to live like a peasant."

"Mom wouldn't want me to grow up thinking we're entitled to everything."

" _Your mother_ wouldn't want the things we want to give you go to waste."

She hated whenever he said things like that. It wasn't always like this though. It wasn't until a few years ago where their lives dramatically changed due to a tragic event that her father consumed himself in work and business. He even retired from being one of the top WGO examiners since the environment reminded him of something he didn't want to be reminded of. Elicia was always in his shadow though and people always compared her to him. She wanted to do and take things with her own hands but it was always difficult when people thought everything was just always handed to her.

 _She probably just had her father's connections to become a WGO examiner I bet._

She went through an intense education and worked to payoff herself and passed rigorous tests to get that position…

 _Her father probably bought her a mansion._

She lived in an apartment like a normal person…

 _Do you see the car that she drives? Must be nice to have money._

The wealth that she achieved by herself…

Elicia had grown up stripped of her title of the most feared tongue and was always judged by her family background. People always thought she was perfect but it wasn't something she strived for.

"Father, I know you just want to take care of me, but I'm an adult now. I don't need your money and _you know_ that since I've accumulated my own bank account."

"Yet you still live the way you live?"

"I still reward myself with luxury from time to time. It's not always necessary however."

"It shows the hard work you've put in."

"I'm not trying to impress anybody."

Akira rubbed his mustache and shook his head, "I knew you would put up a fight against me so I already took some matters into my own hand. I'm not leaving my daughter here in France."

"You've always left me growing up so what does it matter? I don't even live with you!"

He ignored her statement and folded his hands on his lap, "I've already bought out that whole apartment complex you were living at. It belongs to me now and I've told the landlord that you are to be evicted as of tomorrow."

"What?!" She got up from her seat with the chair scrapping against the floor, causing more attention to them, "You can't do this! I'm not uprooting my life just to follow in your footsteps! I've worked too hard to be spoon-fed by you!"

"I'd suggest you go home and start packing your bags."

Elicia had her hands in tight fists as she controlled herself to not throw her cold coffee at him; tears were brimming her eyes as she quickly grabbed her bag and ran out the door. She was too busy wiping her face to notice the person in front of her.

* * *

The chef rarely had days off as he was known to be a very meticulous man when it came to his kitchen and restaurant. Today, however was one of those days he needed for himself and he trusted Abel enough to be the head chef. He wasn't thinking of anything particular while taking his morning stroll but the occasional glances towards blushing females reminded him of that night last week.

That girl, Elicia Hasegawa, was an interesting one. He couldn't find much information on her other than the fact that she was a top WGO examiner and the daughter of Akira Hasegawa. He could remember the graceful behavior she exhibited and the blue piercing eyes that looked into his soul. If only he hadn't let his temper get the best of him, perhaps he would've been able to extract some information on how the WGO give their tests. Not that it really matter of course since he was always a confident man.

Here and there he gave some attention to the stores he passed by and occasionally greeted people who recognized him. Sometimes it was strange for him to switch from speaking his native tongue, to proper Japanese, to the elegant French. He checked his watch and sighed before running a hand through his messy coral hair. It was only 15 minutes past ten in the morning and he thought to himself how he really doesn't know how to relax outside of work. Being a chef is a lifestyle and constantly being occupied was the culture.

Kojiro decided he was just going to grab a quick drink at Moonbucks (even if he wasn't a fan) and most likely not even finish half of it by the time he got home. He was tempted to go back into his kitchen at Shino's but knowing how his staff was, they would probably barricade the door.

The thought made him frown all while raising a brow.

As he reached for the door to the small coffee shop, it already pushed open and the person collided into him. His reflexes grabbed onto their shoulders before they could stagger back and before he could curse them to tell them to watch where they're going, his amber eyes widened to see it was her.

She looked like a mess with her blue eyes outlined in red. She was shaking and hiccupping and when she finally recognized who she bumped into, her hand covered her mouth.

"Oh my…it's you."

"Well, I accept your apology," Kojiro restrained himself from rolling his eyes. For a distressed woman, she still had some sass in her.

"I'm so sorry for bumping into you, it's just…it's been a rough morning. Forget you saw me."

A part of him screamed to just let her go and take her advice. He didn't want to get involved in a stranger's personal affair. But if this is his second time meeting her, perhaps the chef gods were telling him something? He was definitely curious about this girl and wondered why out of all places, it had to be here as well. He mentally chuckled.

"Wait," He grabbed her hand before she left, "You seem like you need somebody to talk to."

"…" She gave him a weird look before sniffling, "If I did, it wouldn't be you?" She said in more of a questioning tone.

"Look, I've been actually wanting to contact you−"

"Chef, this isn't a good time alright? Set your ego aside for a minute and read the atmosphere, will you?"

A vein crept up his neck.

He was about to say something until the door to the shop opened again and he heard the person clear their voice before saying, "What is going on out here?"

Kojiro turned to meet Akira Hasegawa and while his heart skipped a few beats, he kept his cool. He immediately let go of Elicia's hand and slightly bowed to the man before introducing himself.

"I would have never thought I would meet you under these rather…awkward circumstances. My name is Kojiro Shinomiya and I am the head chef and owner of Shino's."

Akira looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Oh yes, I've heard of you! You're the first Japanese man to receive the Pluspol award for your unique French cuisine. It's a pleasure to meet you."

They shook hands before Akira glanced over to his daughter who had her arms crossed while looking away, "I apologize for meeting you like this. I wish we could enjoy each other's company while in a better setting, but I'm going to have to deal with my daughter over there first."

Kojiro at this point felt very awkward as he figured he impeded in a family argument. The amber eyes behind the frames narrowed though when he witnessed the raven haired girl look at him with a sly smile.

Elicia had no idea what she was doing but she had to do anything to escape from her father. Hopefully this coral haired chef would play along as she grabbed onto his arm and placed a hand on his chest. She felt him tense up and freeze to her touch. Her eyes glanced up to him and his was cold as steel as to ask her, " _What the fuck are you doing?_ "

"Father, I'm glad you got to meet my boyfriend. Kojiro was actually on his way here to pick me up after our meeting."

"What?!" Akira exclaimed, "What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm just as confu−"

Elicia pulled Kojiro away from her father for a moment and she had to pull his collar down to get him to whisper with her.

"Look…I'll explain to you later but for now, can you at least play along?"

"And why would I do that? We met each other on bad terms just a week ago and it's not like we owe each other any favors because of that."

"Okay you know what? You're still _salty_ about that incident? Tell you what, you do this for me and I'll owe you any favor, alright?"

Kojiro blinked and gave it a thought. The chef gods were really trying to give him an opportunity. Here he was with a well-known figure in the culinary world and she was practically begging him to help her out. A smirk formed his lips and she furrowed her eyebrows; her bright eyes searching for an answer in his. If he wasn't so self-absorbed right now, he would've noticed how close they were.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Alright then."

"Excuse me; can anybody explain to me what's going on? A moment ago Mr. Shino here just introduced himself and now he's actually your partner?" Her father was fuming but they both turned back to him, now pretending to smile and she hooked her arm around his.

"Why don't we head back inside, shall we father?"

* * *

"So how long has this been going on?" Akira questioned while narrowing his eyes at the so-called couple suspiciously.

"It's actually been quite awhile now. We just keep a low profile so it wouldn't be a big deal to the public." Kojiro swiftly answered. Elicia glanced at him, surprised that he was already coming up with answers before the questions.

"And why would it be a problem?"

"Well father, what do you think would happen if other chefs and WGO members heard that a top notch chef was dating a fellow examiner? People might criticize me for being biased and Kojiro here for being a cheater. Besides," she leaned on him for a more convincing effect, "He is too talented to be labeled anything else but the best."

Amber eyes shifted towards her and caught a graceful smile. He tried relaxing under the touch of her hand and while she leaned on him with such fake affection. For a split second he wished it wasn't the case. He mentally slapped himself and focused on getting her out of whatever situation she was in with her father, but deep down he feared he was more so getting involved with something he'd probably regret later.

Her father crossed his arms, obviously still not convinced from this relationship, "Alright, then why is it that you only wait until now to inform me of this? I find it a little suspicious that monsieur Shinomiya here steps in when you are about to come along with me to Japan."

 _So that's what's going on…_

Kojiro thought. She was being forced to go to Japan. For some reason, he really didn't want that to happen so he pressed on, "How is it suspicious when we just explained to you? It isn't a coincidence that I was just outside the door earlier. Elicia had actually wanted to see me after assuming you two would only have a brief meeting. Now that I learned what is happening, I cannot let her go to Japan whatsoever."

Akira raised an eyebrow, "And why not? It's not like this is an actual serious relationship."

Kojiro could feel the anxiety build up inside Elicia as she slightly gripped onto his sleeve; her teeth biting onto her pink lips. Before he could say anything further though, she blurted out something that would change his life forever.

"Father, we're actually engaged."

"WHAT?" Her father stood up and glowered at them.

Kojiro gave her this look and nudged her but she ignored it to say, "I was going to tell you very soon and introduce my fiancé in a more proper setting but it has come to this. Father, I cannot and will not go to Japan when my love is here."

Her father slid back into his seat with a hand on his forehead, "How has this happened? My daughter…engaged!"

"Now that you know, I hope you give us your blessings…"

There was a moment of silence with just the sound of background noise and Akira breathing really hard. Kojiro felt a headache coming as he was attempting to comprehend what was happening at the moment. Sure it was all an act but he didn't expect this stranger to put up such an elaborate lie. He really wanted this to be over with so he can write his favor from her down on paper and continue his life normally.

From the short amount of time of being around this woman, he concluded that he would rather stay away. No matter how curious he was of her and how captivating she may be, he had to not let her into his life anymore than this.

Oh how he was so wrong.

"Alright then, Elicia. You may stay here in France but under one condition."

"Go on."

"You will live with your fiancé then. Since you _are_ engaged, it's only appropriate that you do, no? Why would you be living anywhere else if you claim to be so in love with each other? Monsieur Shinomiya, you will tell me your address later and I will make arrangements for the few personal items my daughter had at her last apartment. I will see for myself if you are worthy."

"Uhm…sure. Thank you for giving me a chance…with Elicia."

He was doomed.

* * *

"I should've never gotten involved with you. I don't even know who the fuck you are and now we're engaged?"

"Hm, what a lovely home you have here."

She calmly took off her shoes and allowed herself in with Kojiro on her tail. He lived in a decent sized condominium by himself. The walls were pure white with a few classy paintings to decorate them. There were two simple black sofas, a glass coffee table, and a flat-screen television in the living room with a white carpet underneath to compliment the dark oak wood floors. The rather large kitchen faced the living room with an open breakfast counter to overview everything. His kitchen was rather magnificent and it wasn't surprising considering his occupation. Everything was a stainless steel from his refrigerator to his ovens and sink. The beautiful black granite countertops complimented everything just as well.

Before Elicia could walk down the hallway, he stopped her. Glaring down at the shorter girl with his arms crossed and foot tapping he said, "You're seriously not going to address the issue here? You're in my home! How the hell did you come up with an _engagement_? What if people find out about this? And there's no way you're living with me all of a sudden."

"Well, you're going to have to get to know me starting now then."

"What?"

She allowed herself to take a seat at the countertop, "I panicked alright? My father…is a stubborn man. I have a lot of work to do here and there was no way I can suddenly leave to Japan on such short notice. Saying that you're my fiancé is the best thing I could do to get him off my back."

"It still doesn't change the fact that I have to accommodate housing for you now."

"Look, I'm not a crazy person or anything. If you can allow me to live with you and pretend to be my lover, partner, whatever for a certain amount of time to make it believable to my father, we can then just call it quits once I finish my work here in France and finally move to Japan. Besides, you can learn all my boring ass secrets and use it to blackmail me or something if I'm not following your house rules, I don't care. I just need you to play along."

Kojiro narrowed his eyes and contemplated on the idea of living with a woman. He never allowed any woman to stay at his home overnight ever and here he was, about to live with one he just met over an argument about a cup of coffee last week. If he agreed to go along with whatever ridiculous act she came up with, then she would owe him many favors.

It may come in handy in the future.

He liked having connections and favors owed.

"Alright then, fine. But after all this is over, you will always owe me a favor. You don't want to uproot your life to go to Japan yet, that's fine. But I'm changing my life to accommodate yours right now."

"Oh please, you act like I'm going to be hanging off your arm all day. It'll be like I don't even exist. We're both busy people."

"Okay well, here are a few rules. You can't go into my room. Do not touch anything other than the basic essentials in my kitchen. If you're going to buy groceries, label it. Clean up after yourself. Pretty simple, yes?"

"I don't cook, so don't worry about the second or third part. Being clean isn't an issue. And why, what's in your room that's so private?" A sly grin formed her lips and he frowned.

"Well if I'm going to be living with somebody now, I still would like some privacy in my life."

"Fair enough."

"We'll discuss this further on later, for now let me show you where you'll be staying."

Elicia hopped off her chair and finally followed him down the hallway. He pointed to his room being on the left side first and nodded to a bare room to the right. There were a few random boxes and equipment in it but nonetheless, it was a good decent size with a window facing the city of Paris.

"I originally bought the place with the idea of having an extra room for guests, but I realized I hate most people." Kojiro said nonchalantly.

Elicia let out a small giggle to his surprise, "It's not bad. I can clean up the place and my stuff will come sooner or later."

He scratched the back of head, not knowing what else to say now that they're almost settled in, "Well…bathroom is down the hallway and that's it. If you need anything, don't knock."

Ignoring his sarcasm, she turned to him and he found himself staring into her sapphire eyes again; the same electric blue that caught his attention a week ago and the same ones that have him in this strange turn of events. A genuine smile graced her lips before she placed a hand on his arm, causing him to tense again.

He's had female touch before…or rather he _knows_ what the female touches are like, but never have he felt so awkward from one.

It didn't occur to her that she was going to live with a man from now on. She was, indeed, a pretty girl and if Kojiro didn't know her already, he would probably add her to the collection of the casual affairs he had in his life…

But with such an innocent face and how she easily trusted people, he couldn't think like that.

"Thank you…for doing this. I know this was very abrupt and I just stepped all over your life, but hey, at least you won't hear one bad thing from me in the WGO committee."

He forgot this woman had one hell of a sharp tongue though.

* * *

 **This was purposely a long chapter so I apologize for any:**

1\. Grammatical and spelling errors.

2\. If things got very confusing.

3\. Yeah...

I wanted to shove all the meticulous cause of events into one chapter so I can focus on the more fun stuff, hence why this chapter may seem rushed to some with the whole moving in together. :3 I don't know why, but I like to have characters living together. There are so many potential fun situations that could occur lol; so forgive me for this!

 **So recap on what happened since there was a lot of information:**

-Elicia comes from a background with her parents building a rich lifestyle through hard work for the family (more info on her background will unveil as the story goes on).

-Her father is considered a famous (retired) WGO examiner and she follows his footsteps (in hopes of stepping into her own light away from his shadow).

-Her tongue cannot taste food that are considered mediocre (unless a chef has done something amazing). She examines dishes based on textures instead and once in awhile will be amazed (either by something good or bad). People used to come to her to bet whether or not she'll even be able to taste even one ingredient on their dish, but now people flock to the young Erina Nakiri since she can give better criticism.

-In order for Elicia to escape her father's plans to moving to Japan, she lied about being engaged to Kojiro, now they must move in together to make it believable to her father.

-If readers didn't catch the small hint of her age in the beginning and calculate it, Elicia is 24 years old. Kojiro is 28 years old (as stated in the manga/anime).

-Yeah, that was a lot. I hope you all got all that, haha.

-By the way, Elicia's name is sort of similar to Erina's name now that I think about it...that was unintentional. Oops. Oh well, the God and Devil tongues can clash later in the future, heh.


End file.
